People, Locations, Episodes

Enolia McMillan, Activist, and Educator born

*Enolia Pettigan McMillan was born on this date in 1904. She was an African American educator, civil rights activist, and community leader.

Una Marson, Feminist, writer and Publisher born.

*Una Marson was born on this date in 1905. She was an Afro Caribbean feminist, activist, and writer who produced poems, plays, and radio programs. Una Maud Victoria Marson was born in Sharon village, near Santa Cruz, Jamaica. She was the youngest of six children of Solomon Isaac Marson and Ada Wilhelmina Mullins. She had […]

Hartman Turnbow, Farmer, and Activist born

*Hartman Turnbow was born on this date in 1905. He was a Black farmer, orator, and activist during the 20th-century American Civil Rights Movement.   He was born in Mileston, Mississippi. His grandparents were former slaves, and he inherited their farm. Turnbow was married twice and had six children: Jewross and Hartman and daughters Mae Alice, Mae Bell, Mary, and Christine. He […]

Mother Hale, Humanitarian, and Activist born

*This date marks the birth of Mother Hale in 1905. She was an African American activist for civil and children’s rights and the founder of Hale House.

Rosey Pool, Author and Activist born

*Rosey Pool was born on this date in 1905. She was a white Jewish-Dutch poet and anthologist of African American poetry. Rosa Eva Pool was born and raised in a secular Jewish family in Amsterdam, Sweden. In the 1920s, she participated in Dutch Popular Front youth movements, such as the socialist Arbeiders Jeugd Centrale (AJC) and […]

The Texas Association of Women’s Clubs is Formed

*The Texas Association of Women’s Clubs (TAWC) is celebrated on this date in 1905. They are an umbrella organization of African American women’s clubs in Texas. It was first organized as the Texas Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs. The group’s purpose was to allow clubs to work together to improve the social and moral life […]

Myles Horton, Socialist born

*Myles Horton was born on this date in 1905.  He was a white-American educator, socialist, and administrator.  Myles Falls Horton was born in 1905 in Savannah, Tennessee, to a poor family. He had two brothers, Daniel and Demas, and one sister, Elsie Pearl. He grew up near Savannah; his parents were Elsie Falls Horton and Perry Horton, former schoolteachers and Presbyterians. […]

The Niagara Movement is Founded

This date marks the founding of the Niagara Movement, the first significant Black organized protest movement of the 20th century in America.

It also represented the attempt of a small yet articulate group of radicals to challenge the then dominant ideals of Booker T. Washington. At the turn of the century there were divisions in African American political life: those who believed in accommodation, led by Booker T. Washington; and the more militant group, led by W.E.B. Du Bois and William M. Trotter.

John C. Robinson, Aviator born

*John Robinson was born on this date in 1905.  He was a Black aviator and activist.  John Charles Robinson was born in Carrabelle, Florida, and spent his early years in Gulfport, Mississippi. His father died when he was a baby, leaving him and his four-year-old sister, Bertha, with their mother, Celeste Robinson, who married Charles Cobb. Robinson was inspired by flight at an […]

I. Myrtle Carden, Community Activist born

 *This date in 1905 is celebrated as the birth date of I. Myrtle Carden, a Black social worker and administrator.  I. Myrtle Carden was born in Philadelphia, PA., and graduated from Temple University and the Pennsylvania School of Social Work. Soon after, she worked at the Sharpe St. Settlement House in Baltimore. In 1929, Carden […]

Nellie Stone Johnson, Businesswoman, and Union Activist born

*Nellie Stone Johnson was born on this date in 1905. She was an African American activist, administrator and businesswoman.

Anna Tanneyhill, Writer born

*Anna Tanneyhill was born on this date in 1906. She was an African American administrator, writer and activist.

Amy Barbour-James, British Activist born

*Amy Barbour-James was born on January 25, 1906. She was a Black British-born Guyanese civil rights activist and civil servant. Caroline Amy Aileen Barbour-James was born in Acton, London, to Guyanese parents, John and Caroline Barbour-James, one of their eight children. They were a middle-class family. Her father, John Barbour-James, was an administrator in West […]

Paul Cornely, Physician and Public Health Advocate born

*Paul Cornely was born on this date in 1906. He was a Black physician, public health pioneer, and activist. Paul Bertau Cornely was born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. His mother was Adrienne Mellon, and his father was Eleodore Cornely. At the age of three, his family moved to Puerto Rico. He moved to the United States as […]

Corinthian Nutter, Teacher, Pianist, and Education Activist born

*Corinthian Nutter was born on this date in 1906. She was a Black teacher, musician, and education activist.  Corinthian Clay Ricks (her birth name) was born in Forney, Texas, to Robert R. and Roxie Anna (Ford) Ricks. Her father worked for the railroad. Her mother was an itinerant worker, and Nutter was frequently taken out […]